Special prosecutor needed for Gary Polland allegations

There are times in politics where you shake your head and there are times when you try to twist your head off it is spinning so much. This is a spinning off time. I suppose that I need to set the stage for those of you that aren’t involved in Harris County Republican Party politics or the mess that we call the Harris County Family Courts.

Attorney Greg Enos has been fighting for reform in the Harris County Family Court system for a couple of years, at least. Without his efforts, it is likely that disgraced former Judge Denise Pratt would still be on the bench. Mr. Enos has continued his efforts to reform the system by looking at the billing practices of Judge Alicia Franklin (the replacement for Judge Pratt) and by HCRP influencer Gary Polland. I have no doubt that he will name others in the future.

As for Gary Polland, he is one of the “big 3” “endorsement machines” that have dominated the HCRP since the late 1990’s. Although he is the weakest link, he still exhibits enormous power in selecting judges in Harris County.

Mr. Enos has documented the enormous amount of money the Mr. Polland has taken from the taxpayers through judicial appointments by the very judges he endorses. I really like what Ed Hubbard had to say in this post about that practice.

Okay, so that is a tiny bit about the background. Clearly there is a lot more and I would encourage you to search Google and read up on this issue.

What irked me today and made me join the call for a special prosecutor in this case is Mr. Polland’s words in his Texas Conservative Review newsletter. Trust me, it is a very influential newsletter and I could only hope that I had that many people on my mailing list.

The newly elected Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson is an emerging star in the constellation of Texas elected officials.

In office a little over a year ago, she has taken the lead in organizing a diversion program for first time marijuana users designed to get them help and reduce jail overcrowding.

Most recently, she quickly put together all the key players for a body camera program for police officers and found the funding for it.

So, while President Obama and others talk about things he has no say so on, Devon Anderson acts decisively.

Oh my. Since this isn’t about Mrs. Anderson, I’ll refrain from commenting too much on the substance of that nonsense other than to say that rather being a reformer, Mrs. Anderson was pushed and cajoled into stating a few policy changes by her Democratic opponent in the November election. Reformer? Goodness.

But with a criminal complaint already filed against him, and Mr. Enos publicly calling for Mrs. Anderson to recuse herself in this case, for Gary Polland to send this missive to his vast mailing list is a blatant attempt to influence a DA that we already know from past experience (see her deal with former Judge Denise Pratt) is easily influenced by the political process! It is almost bizarre that Gary would do this!

The Harris County DA has been sitting on Enos’ information for months, doing NOTHING with it. It is past time for her to either do something with the information or go the preferred route and let a special prosecutor look into the billing practices of Mr. Polland. His apparent attempt to influence the DA must be ignored. And while the special prosecutor is at it, she should have a look at Judge Alicia Franklin.